Cefalu, Italy

Cefalù, a haven of tranquility, a refuge, and a sanctuary of religious inspiration. The town of Cefalu is located on the north coast of Sicily...50 miles east of Palermo and 106 miles west of Messina.

Utterly photogenic, Cefalu had a starring role in the classic romantic film, "Cinema Paradiso". A city of facets, levels, and epochs. The name, which translated means "head", probably referring to the shape of the huge rock crowned with an ancient castle, rising above the town, was given to the town by the Greeks. Cefalù's origins are surrounded in mystery. Mentioned in ancient tomes over the ages as simply a pleasant Sicilian town, the aroma of this charming city hangs enigmatically in the air of ancient history.

It was a battle, and the sacking of the great city of Himera that drew Cefalù out of the shadows of obscurity into the light of historical fact and gave it a role. Refugees from the Greek Himera, flying for their lives from the King of Carthage, found a safe place in this secluded spot surrounded by mountains, and hid. So the city came into its own as a place of protection. Over the years this theme was to be affirmed. Cefalù grew as a commercial town at the base of this head absorbing into its makeup the characteristics of its various Roman, Byzantine and Arab rulers.

The city developed further when Roger II extended the city further up the hill towards its "head". He also constructed the awesome Norman Romanesque Cathedral in 1131.